The Lady Monarch varsity soccer team is pictured from left, front row, Cam Lee, Gab Lee, Macie Powers, Lucy Weller, Maddie Gognat, and Kindall Duke; second row, Makenna Renevier, Kendall Ellerbrock, Kass Lee, Savannah Ward, Erica Duquet and Olivia Brooks; third row, assistant coaches Christian Blevins and Ashley Gruenbaum, Kasey Duke, JoJo Eberhart, Brielle Young, Leah Brown, Vivian Blevins and head coach Nathan Andrews. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
Marysville High School’s girls soccer team lost several key players from last year’s Division I district championship team.
Head coach Nathan Andrews, however, has a number of veterans back from a squad that posted a 13-4-3 record.
Seniors on the team include Kass Lee, Kindall Duke, Savannah Ward, Lucy Weller, Kendall Ellerbock, Maddie Gognat and keeper Brielle Young.
The other seniors play various positions at midfield, forward and defense.
“We still have a good deal of returning experience,” said Andrews. “We also have some younger players who will seamlessly fill in the gaps.”
Erica Duquet is a senior and a first-year varsity player. She will play defense.
Other newcomers include forwards Makenna Reneview (junior), Cam Lee (sophomore), Macie Powers (sophomore), JoJo Eberhart (freshman) and Vivian Blevins (freshman).
New midfielders are Leah Brown (sophomore), Olivia Brooks (freshman) and Kasey Duke (freshman).
Gab Lee, a sophomore, will play as a defender.
Andrews said he doesn’t have any concerns about the team on the field.
“As far as our team goes, we are on track to be very competitive this year,” he said.
A certain off-field issue is an entirely different matter.
“We don’t have anything that everyone else doesn’t have,” said the coach. “Every team has an anxiety toward how long we may be permitted to play with the coronavirus pandemic.”
Andrews said Marysville, Dublin Jerome and Hilliard Darby should be among the top teams in the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal division.
The conference realigned for the 2020-21 school year.
Andrews said the Lady Monarchs’ goal is also to repeat as the district champion.